Why should Cambridge change the Indian Mascot?
The National Congress of American Indians launched a campaign in 1968 to address stereotypes of Native peoples in popular culture and media, as well as in sports. Since that time, there has been a great deal of progress made to end the era of harmful "Indian" mascots. In recent weeks, we have seen two National sports teams end the practice of using race-based mascots. The momentum is growing.
The intolerance and harm promoted by these "Indian" mascots, logos and symbols have very real consequences for Native people. They perpetuate negative stereotypes of America's first peoples and contribute to a disregard for the personhood of Native peoples. "Indigenous people are marginalized, erased, forgotten, targeted, attacked and displaced in the present day. They are expendable and tokenized. This must stop. The American identity cannot consume Indigenous people any longer." - Regan de Loggans, (Mississippi Choctaw/ Ki’Che Maya) is a two-spirit agitator, art historian, curator and educator based in so-called Brooklyn, New York, on Lenape land.
Hundreds of tribal nations, national and regional tribal organizations, school boards, sports teams, sports and media personalities and individuals have called for and issued formal petitions to end the practice. It's time to respect the voices that have long been asking for this change.
Isn't it honorable for Native Americans?
This "honor" is a result of systemic, cultural, and institutionalized racism that has caused serious risk and harm to Native communities. Honor assumes that the other party feels something positive and if a cultural community is telling us that it's not honorable, we don't get to say otherwise.
Some local historians date the "Cambridge Indian" back for nearly one hundred years. During this time, Native children throughout the United States were taken from their homes and placed in residential schools where they were, at best, stripped of their Native heritage and forced to assimilate to a dominant white culture. These institutions caused generations of lasting pain, loss and trauma. All the while, Cambridge used the moniker "Indian," completely disregarding the implications of this harmful practice.
Consider this statement: “I would be honored and respected as a Native person if our treaties were honored, if our sovereignty was recognized, if our lands were taken back into Indigenous hands. Those are the type of things that honor me as a Native person, not a stereotypical image combined with a racial slur.” -Adrienne Keene, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and faculty member at Brown University’s American Studies and Ethnic Studies department.
It's tradition here in Cambridge, shouldn't we keep it?
Just because it's tradition, doesn't make it right. The practice of using Native mascots isn't victimless, despite what the supporters say. As for individual Natives who may support the continued practice, they don't speak for an entire Nation. And the Nations have spoken. Unequivocally, they support this change.
Keeping the Indian mascot and reclaiming its meaning is still disrespectful to Native peoples. People should not be reduced to mascots. It's time to acknowledge the harm that this practice has caused and create an opportunity to move forward and choose a mascot that aligns more closely with the district's values and mission.
I heard a tribe designed the logo and has given permission for its use?
This simply isn't true. The Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Band of Mohicans' Director of Cultural Affairs, Heather Bruegl stated the following on December 3, 2020 when asked about their involvement with designing the logo for Cambridge in the past: "To my knowledge this mascot was created without any consultation from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, so I am not sure where they get that claim from. Again, our community stands firmly against the use of Native Americans as mascots."
Cambridge Central School is on the original homelands of the Mohican or Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Band of Mohican Indians and Mohawk or Kanienkehaka, People of the land of Flint; both tribes have been asking for the removal of race-based mascots for many years. We are not exempt in Cambridge from these requests and should honor our area's rich history by respecting the wishes of its first inhabitants.
Twenty years ago, the image was changed from a "Plains Indian" with a full head-dress to be more of the likeness of Native people indigenous to the area. The current image the school uses is clip art. It is the very same image used by several other schools and is not unique to Cambridge. It is a misrepresentation of Native peoples and it must go.
I've read that the Native American Guardians Association supports keeping Native mascots, in particular, they've supported Cambridge keeping our Indian Mascot. Why is their position so different from what I'm reading here?
The National Congress of American Indians has issued the following statement on NAGA's position:
"It is our understanding that the Native American Guardians Association in the past has purported to speak for and misrepresent the formal positions of tribal nations, who are on record opposing these mascots. NAGA does not have the authority to do. To our knowledge, NAGA and its members do not formally represent the position and interests of tribal nations, governments and their leaders. Conversely, the National Congress of American Indians - which is a formal, national Congress of tribal nations - has passed numerous consensus-based resolutions declaring Indian Country's unified opposition to these mascots, dating back more than 50 years."
Sport Illustrated's recently published an article on the problematic history of NAGA and it's agenda, entitled "Dan Snyder Started a Foundations to Support Native Americans. Has it Abandoned it's Mission?"